A series of former South Korean officials accused of leaking intelligence about THAAD

South Korea's audit and inspection agency has accused former officials under President Moon Jae-in of leaking intelligence about the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to China and activists.

THAAD system in Seongju (South Korea) in September 2017

The South China Morning Post reported on November 20 that the Korea Audit and Inspection Agency (BAI) has asked the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to open an investigation into former Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, former National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong and two other former senior officials under President Moon Jae-in (term 2017-2022).

The reason for the investigation is that BAI suspects that the four former officials secretly passed information about THAAD to activists before the South Korean government deployed the US defense system in Seongju near the capital Seoul in May 2020.

The purpose of this action is believed to be to delay the deployment of the THAAD system. As a result, the police encountered activists who protested because they believed that the US system could emit electromagnetic waves that could affect the health of nearby communities.

Watch the US THAAD air defense system test intercepting missiles

By 2023, a South Korean government report concluded that the THAAD battery was not a health threat.

According to BAI, former officials are also suspected of discussing the THAAD deployment with the military attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul before the plan was implemented. China has not commented on this information.

Yonhap on November 19 quoted an unnamed official as saying that BAI suspected that the Moon administration had leaked intelligence information because it wanted to delay the THAAD deployment following the decision of predecessor Park Geun-hye (term 2013-2017) in 2016.

Although intended to counter the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, the move by President Park Geun-hye's administration has angered China, which considers THAAD a threat to security.

Despite Beijing's strong objections, Seoul moved THAAD to its intended location in Seongju in 2017.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/loat-cuu-quan-chuc-han-quoc-bi-to-lam-lo-tin-tinh-bao-ve-thaad-185241120182816922.htm